


Bloom

by Angryangryowl



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, botanical gardens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 13:56:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8164300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angryangryowl/pseuds/Angryangryowl
Summary: Matt and Techie are engineering students who end up at the same house party....





	

  
Matt never normally bothers doing anything with his hair. The mop of blond curls refuses to be tamed by any of the means he’s tried. He doesn’t want to look like something he isn’t. But he wants to look nice. He sighs his frustration at the mirror, running his fingers back through his hair a few times.

Techie deserves him looking nice. He’s still a little shocked that the shy redhead asked him out at all.  
Techie (That can’t be his real name, but it suits him), had been dragged into the endless twisting warren of corridors and pokey, dirty rooms of the house Matt shared by one of the other occupants, a tell, intimidating and stoic girl with platinum blonde hair and a wolfish grin. Phasma and her troop of loyal and equally intimidating friends always seemed to pick up a stray or two on their nights out.

That night, Techie looked somewhere between excitement at actually being asked to a house party and blind panic. His eyes, red-rimmed and sore, seemed to dart around, trying to take in each new face and sight and smell at once. Grinning too wide when a plastic cup of ‘punch’ is given to him. 

Phasma murmurs in Matt’s ear ‘Stop looking at him like that, you’ll scare him. Go talk to him.’

  
‘I wasn’t-’

  
Phasma just raises a perfectly groomed eyebrow, and leaves.

  
Techie greets him with the same nervous enthusiasm that he does everyone else. He’s beautiful up close, shoulder-length red hair that almost glows in the poor light. His eyes look irritated and sore, red-rimmed and watering slightly, and he must be wearing contacts to get his eyes that bright, aquamarine blue. Matt’s never seen anyone quite like him. The way he looks down and begins to blush every time Matt asks him a question makes his heart swell in his chest.

  
They both study electrical engineering, although Techie is a few years older and just finishing his masters degree. Matt is still stumbling his way through the first year. The conversation drifts to Techie’s upcoming internship with NASA, and then to space travel, stars, nebulas, far-off planets and distant wonders. They both drink a few cups of lethally strong punch, pressed into their hands by Phasma with an affectionate smile each time.

They continue to talk in Matt’s room away from the cacophony of people shouting over the already-loud music.

  
Techie seems a little calmer in just Matt’s company, sitting cross-legged on his bed. He eases into the conversation, but becomes particularly animated talking about solar flares, his hands gesturing so widely he almost falls off the bed, grinning as he finishes his breathy, wonder-filled explanation with ‘..and I think that’s just fantastic.’

  
Matt can only nod and smile. He knows this stuff, well, some of it anyway, Techie is living the dream Matt has had since he knew what space was, and hearing this sweet and beautiful guy enthuse about radiation and undiscovered moons stretches a drunk and contented grin across his face. Techie makes him see dying suns flaring the same red as his hair, and endless possibilities in those wide pupils, shining with alcohol and enthusiasm.

  
‘Sorry, I get a bit…much, sometimes’ he says awkwardly, looking down and brushing his hair back behind his ears.

  
‘No, don’t stop.’ Matt speaks too quickly so it’s a little slurred and grabs Techie’s hand without thinking. ‘I like this. I want to listen to you talk all night.’

  
Techie smiles shyly, looking down at their joined hands. He smiles like he likes the idea. Matt forgets how to breathe for a second.

  
‘You uh..like flowers?’

  
‘Yeah! Um…lillies I guess. And orchids.’

  
‘Maybe we could go to the botanical gardens? If you want to, and you’re not busy. They have a late night thing Friday night.’

  
Matt pauses. His brain entirely short-circuits. Did this guy, this sweet, skinny, smart and incredibly charming redhead, just ask him to do something? In the evening? Like…a date?

  
He must have paused too long because Techie has let go of his hand and is looking away again.  
‘Look, I get it if it’s weird and you’re busy. Maybe had too many of those cups of punch, kinda tasted like antifreeze though, I hope that wasn’t a key ingredient, heh..’ He babbles as he swings his feet over the edge of the bed.

  
‘Hey’ Matt grabs his hand before he can go. ‘Friday sounds great. Six?’

  
‘I’ll meet you there then.’ Techie glances back up at him like he’s smiles shyly ‘I should probably get back, early class tomorrow.’

  
He leaves Matt with another gentle squeeze of his fingers, and a hopeful look.

  
***

  
They’re both early. Techie is out of the grubby yellow t-shirt he was wearing at the party, wearing instead a deep blue button-down shirt and jeans.

Matt doesn’t know much about choosing clothes, but the shade brings out the copper tones in his hair. He grins when Matt waves.

  
‘You ready?’

  
‘For…plants?’

  
‘No, Scrabble.’ Techie is entirely straight-faced. Matt doubts himself for a second before he grins mischievously.

  
‘Yes, plants, c’mon, orchids first?’ He takes Matts hand with no hesitation, his fingers are delicate and cool. He leads him into the first large greenhouse of the gardens.

  
There’s a strong verdant smell, compost and cut grass and growing things. Matt is far more focussed than he should be on Techie’s hand still holding his. As he slows to an amble at the first spectacular display of flowers, his fingers twine in Matt’s so he can walk at his side.

  
He points out the long branches of phalaenopsis, pale purple with blushes of pink or blue, fluorescent flecks of red, hung like lanterns. The high arched iron beams the support the glass roof are twined with fairy lights, sparkling against the glass.

  
Techie’s face is lit up each time he looks back at Matt, talking animatedly about each new species they pass, their preferred environment, the variations in colour. They walk around in a slow circle, through lilies and orchids, tropical plants, and eventually stop back towards the centre where there are a couple of small, classy looking stands selling refreshments.

  
‘Not boring you am I? Sorry, I’m a big of a nerd about this stuff.’  
Matt wants to assure him that he could never be boring, that he may not remember every single detail that Techie tells him but it’s all fascinating. He forgets because of the way Techie looks when he’s telling him, because that night in his room he’d wanted to pull Techie into his lap and kiss him, almost more than he’s ever wanted anything, and he still thinks about it now.

  
But he just shakes his head and smiles, feeling himself blush. ‘An interesting nerd though, I like it.’

  
Techie positively glows.

  
Matt leaves Techie by a pool of fish and water plants for a moment, assuring him he’ll return. Techie doesn’t seem the type to be impressed by gifts, but he buys them a glass of white wine each (he’s guessing), and a small but lifelike wax and silk orange lily from one if the stands. A stargazer lily, he remembers Techie saying. For his own stargazer.

  
Techie immediately tucks it behind one ear, and thanks him awkwardly for the wine. But he does change what hand he is holding the plastic glass in so he can take his hand again as they wander around the second large loop of the figure eight the path around the garden forms.

  
They sit again half way around, amongst towering curly ferns. It’s quiet in this part, a few other couples wandering around, but this particular area is mostly deserted.

Matt has sat with his arm draped across the back of the bench out of habit, and is a little surprised when Techie shuffles close enough to allow Matt’s arm around his shoulders. 

‘Is..this okay?’ He asks hesitantly when Matt freezes for a second.

  
‘It’s fine I just..’ Matt gently moves his arm from the bench to around Techie’s narrow shoulders

. ‘Is this?’

  
‘Yeah.’ He leans his head against Matt’s shoulder, smelling faintly of aftershave and soap. His whole body relaxes against Matt’s after a few minutes, his hand settling on his thigh.

  
Matt kisses the top of his head, slowly but affectionately as Techie continues. ‘I think this is gonna be just fine’


End file.
